Turkiye, Nov 9: Nepal is set to put the climate vulnerabilities of mountain regions in the global spotlight as the 31st Conference of the Parties (COP31) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) kicks off today in Antalya, Turkiye.
Through a series of high-level discussions and thematic events, Nepal will call for stronger international climate action, greater financial support and urgent measures to address the mounting impacts of global warming, particularly on fragile mountain ecosystems and vulnerable coastal communities.
According to the UNFCCC Secretariat, Nepal has lined up several events on the opening day to draw international attention to the climate challenges confronting mountain and coastal regions.
The first event, organized by Clean Energy Nepal, will take place from 10:00 am to 10:30 am local time under the theme “Nepal’s Climate Voice: Scaling Up Climate Finance and Action from the Sagarmatha to the Sea.”
The event aims to amplify Nepal’s call for increased climate finance and more effective climate action to tackle the far-reaching consequences of climate change, from the melting Himalayas to threatened coastal areas.
Similarly, the Government of Nepal will organize another event from 12:30 pm to 1:00 pm under the theme ‘Nepal: From Mountains to the Sea- A Call for Urgent Climate Action and Increased Climate Finance’.
The event will press the international community to step up efforts to protect climate-vulnerable mountain and coastal regions.
It will also underscore the need for adequate, accessible and grant-based climate financing for developing countries, particularly those bearing the brunt of climate change despite contributing relatively little to global emissions.
Another joint event, titled ‘Nepal, ZOI, Kyrgyzstan, Bhutan and ICIMOD: Strengthening Mountain Resilience through Adaptation Finance’, is scheduled from 3:00 pm to 4:30 pm.
The discussion will focus on mobilizing greater adaptation finance to safeguard fragile mountain ecosystems and strengthen the resilience of communities increasingly exposed to climate-related risks.
Representatives from Nepal, Kyrgyzstan, Bhutan and the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) will deliberate on the mounting climate challenges facing mountain countries and the financial resources required to help them adapt.
Foreign Minister Khanal to address opening session
Meanwhile, Minister for Foreign Affairs Shisir Khanal arrived in Antalya on Sunday to lead Nepal’s delegation to COP31. He is scheduled to address the opening session of the conference today.
During the summit, Minister Khanal will also participate in a high-level climate diplomacy event titled ‘Advancing the Mountain Agenda: Glaciers, Cryosphere and Resilience under Overshoot, Shared Responsibility and Sustainable Financing’.
The event is being co-hosted by a coalition of mountain nations, including Nepal, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Bhutan and Pakistan.
Likewise, Minister for Agriculture, Forests and Environment Gita Chaudhary will lead Nepal’s delegation during the second week of the conference, from November 15 to 20.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forests and Environment, Minister Chaudhary will participate in high-level meetings and side events and hold bilateral discussions with her counterparts and other dignitaries.
Chaudhary said Nepal would prioritize climate justice, mountain-related concerns, loss and damage, and climate finance at COP31.
She informed that Nepal would firmly present its national priorities and the realities of the climate crisis before the international community.
Highlighting the importance of collective action among mountain nations, the Minister asserted that Nepal has laid a special emphasis to shared concerns of countries with mountain ecosystems.
In this connection, Nepal and Bhutan have jointly proposed an agenda titled ‘1.5 Degree Celsius Temperature Rise and Mountain Regions’, calling for stronger global action to address the escalating threats posed by climate change to mountain ecosystems and the communities that depend on them.
The Minister for Agriculture, Forests and Environment mentioned that due to the global rise in temperature, mountains, glaciers, glacial lakes, and alpine ecosystems are seriously affected. She explained that its impact is spreading to agriculture, hydroelectricity, food security, river systems, and human life.
She said that sufficient financial resources, technology transfer, and capacity building are needed for adaptation in mountainous areas.
Minister Chaudhary mentioned that although Nepal’s contribution to greenhouse gas emissions is low, the country has to face the impacts of climate change disproportionately, and that Nepal will prioritize raising the issue of climate justice.
She further stated that the humanitarian, economic, and non-economic damages caused by the devastating floods and landslides in the Bhotekoshi–Rasuwa river system will be presented to the international community.
Nepal to organize over 40 side events
This time, Nepal has set up its own national pavillion at COP-31. This time, Nepal has set up its own national pavilion at COP-31. The plan is to organize over 40 side events from that pavilion.
The Ministry of Forests has stated that the pavillion will be developed as a shared platform to present the voices of Nepal’s climate realities, local community experiences, youth, women, civil society, private sector, and other stakeholders to the international community.
She mentioned that during the conference, there is also a programme to sign a bilateral MoU on carbon trading between the governments of Nepal and Korea. It will create new opportunities for cooperation between the two countries in developing the carbon market and climate mitigation.
Dr Rajendra Prasad Mishra, Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, said that COP-31 is an important opportunity to present the reality of the climate crisis for Nepal to the world, establish shared issues of a mountain nation, strengthen demands for climate justice, and expand international cooperation and support.
COP-31 programmes
Various programmes associated with COP-31 have already been completed during the pre-session period set from November 2 to 8.
During that period, there were programmes such as the 16th meeting of the Facilitation Working Group of the Local Communities and Indigenous Peoples Platform (LCIPP), coordination meetings of the Least Developed Countries (LDCs), the African Group (AGN), the Small Island Developing States (SIDS), and the G-77 and China.
Similarly, the main programmes of the conference period are set from November 9 to 20, the UNFCCC Secretariat has stated. After the formal opening of the conference today on November 9, various programmes, meetings, and talks will continue.
Similarly, a schedule has been released showing that along with the world leaders’ summit on November 11 and 12, various programmes, meetings, and talks will continue. The conference programmes will continue until November 14, and on Sunday, November 15, the conference center will be closed for the holiday.
The first week of the conference will end, and the second week will commence from November 16.
In the second week of the conference, there will be various talks, the annual high-level ministerial roundtable discussion on pre-2030 climate ambitions, capacity-building centers, high-level sessions, a high-level ministerial roundtable on just transitions, a high-level event on Gender Equality Day, and a global high-level climate action programme. The conference is scheduled to conclude on November 20.
During the same COP-31 conference, there will also be the 21st session of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (CMP 21), the 8th session of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Paris Agreement (CMA 8), the 65th session of the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA 65), and the 65th session of the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI 65). (RSS)
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